


(love will find a way to) bloom

by joshllyman



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, Future Fic, M/M, Post-Time Skip, falling in love via cacti and other succulents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:33:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27830809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joshllyman/pseuds/joshllyman
Summary: Tsukishima receives a mysterious box and a sticky note with no name, which is weird enough on its own to warrant comment by the museum's secretary.And then it happens again.And again.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Tsukishima Kei
Comments: 10
Kudos: 69





	(love will find a way to) bloom

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Andramion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Andramion/gifts).



> I can't fix anything in the world but I can write my friends fics when they're sad. So, Ro, this is for you. Please imagine this fic is a cactus that I am delivering to your windowsill.

“Delivery for you, Tsukishima-kun.”

“Thank you,” Kei says without looking up. Then, “sorry, what?”

When he looks up, Hironaka-san is looking at him with a raised eyebrow. “Delivery, Tsukishima-kun. Please take this package out of my hands so I can go back to my job.”

Tsukishima’s cheeks tinge a faint pink. “Thank you, Hironaka-san, apologies for the inconvenience.”

She smiles warmly at him as he accepts the little box in her hands. 

“There’s no tag,” he murmurs, looking at the plain wrapping. 

“Secret admirer?” Hironaka-san questions.

Tsukishima can’t help but snort. “Probably not. I thought you wanted to get back to your job?”

She throws up her hands, a faux gesture of innocence. “I’m going. But don’t think I don’t wonder who’s calling you Tsukki.”

(Thank the gods she’s never met Yamaguchi, he thinks to himself. She’d have a field day.)

He waits until she’s fully out of his office before he looks down at the box. A rush of warmth swoops through his gut; if it were a work thing, it would have his full name, title, and a return address. But instead there’s just  _ Tsukki _ , written in tidy handwriting, followed by the address for the museum. No return label at all.

He opens it carefully. Inside, there’s a small cactus in a bright blue pot. He takes it out, cautious not to prick his fingers, and discovers a sticky note attached to the bottom of the ceramic. He plucks it off before setting the cactus on the sunny side of his desk. He tests the soil with his finger, determining that it must have been watered just before being sent—or dropped off, possibly. There’s no way it would have survived the mail. He turns his attention back to the sticky note.

_ Tsukki— _

_ Cacti need little in the way of care, as you well know, and therefore make good house plants—although in this case, I imagine it will remain a resident of your office. May it bring you a little sunshine on a dreary day. _

No signature.

Tsukishima frowns as he surveys the plant again. It  _ is _ raining outside. The few passers by his window are all wrapped in shiny black coats or huddling under umbrellas held closely to their bodies. It adds another question to his growing list: was this a spur of the moment idea? Or had his mystery giver planned this in advance?

One last check inside the box reveals nothing more, so he breaks it down and sets it aside. The cactus sits, tall and proud, to his right. 

It does bring him more than one smile as he surveys it the rest of the day.

***

“Delivery, Tsukishima-kun.”

Tsukishima’s brow furrows. “Again?”

“Yes.” Hironaka-san sets the box down on his desk. “You’ve gotten very popular all of a sudden.”

“I have approximately four friends,” Tsukishima corrects.

“And at least one of them calls you Tsukki.”

“I will see you at lunch, Hironaka-san, thank you for bringing this to me.”

He looks up and stares at her until she turns to go back to her own desk. 

Inside the box he finds an aloe plant, potted in a purple pot that matches the cactus’. Once again, there’s a note attached to the bottom.

_ Tsukki— _

_ In Arabia, where the aloe plant originates, it is also called ‘saber,’ which means patience. It is native to a harsh environment and thrives under great pressure, not unlike yourself. May it bring you strength. _

Tsukishima flips over the note, just in case there’s something on the back. Nothing. He sighs and sets it beside the cactus. Hironaka-san might have been teasing when she suggested he has a secret admirer, but he’s forced to admit that she might be right. But he hadn’t been lying when he said he has few friends, and even fewer here in Tokyo. The move to the National Museum of Nature and Science had been the right one for his career, even if it meant leaving behind his friends and the Frogs. He’s only been here six months or so, not nearly long enough to establish himself, not really, so who could possibly be sending the plants?

For now, he resolves not to worry about it. They’re nice, a splash of color on his monotonous desk. And they do seem to cause spontaneous bouts of happiness throughout the day; the note hadn’t even mentioned that side effect. 

He lets it go another day without delving any further into the matter.

***

“Delivery, Tsukishima-kun, and I’m not leaving until you open it this time.”

Tsukishima looks up. Hironaka-san is holding out a box almost identical to the first two. He sighs as he accepts it.

“The cactus is new,” she says, folding her arms over her chest as she watches him. “And the aloe.”

“Yes,” Tsukishima answers. He tears the paper away carefully and finds another little pot, this one lime green and containing a jade plant. He sets it down beside the cactus and the aloe without pulling the sticky note from the bottom. “As you can see, I’ve started a collection.”

“That’s it?” Hironaka-san says, deflating a bit. “No note?”

“That’s it,” Tsukishima confirms. He shrugs. “Nothing interesting to see here.”

She stares at the two little pots for a moment, as if the power of her gaze can make them confess where they came from. Finally she turns back to him. “Well. Enjoy your plant.”

“Thank you, Hironaka-san.”

She leaves, and Tsukishima bolts for the plant, unsticking the note from the bottom of the pot.

_ Tsukki— _

_ While jade traditionally symbolizes wealth and prosperity, a flowering jade can also symbolize good friendship. Keep good care of your plant, and it will bloom for you. _

Tsukishima opens his top drawer, where he hid the previous notes. Same neat handwriting, same loops in the kanji for his name. He rattles his brain. Who could possibly be bringing him plants every day?

He snaps a picture of them and sends them to a group chat.

[to: Kuroo Tetsurou, Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji]

<< _ You three are the only ones I know in Tokyo and these are being dropped off at my office. Spill. _

His phone buzzes three times in quick succession.

[to: Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji, you]

>> _ I’m out of town this week, scouting in Hokkaido. _

_ >>[img_attached] I’m fucking freezing. _

_ >>Send help, send the sun, send your bodies draped over mine for heat preservation. _

The picture is of Kuroo, bundled in a hoodie that’s seen better days and clashes horribly with his suit. Tsukishima smirks. 

[to: Kuroo Tetsurou, Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji]

<< _ You look like an ass, but you’re cleared of guilt. _

Another buzz, then:

[to: Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji, you]

>> _ Fuck u Tsukki I thought we were friends _

Tsukishima doesn’t deign to answer that.

***

He almost forgets about the matter entirely, or as much as he can with the three plants huddling together on his desk. He gets wrapped up in planning a new exhibit, making phone calls to potential sponsors, doing his job. It’s not until the end of the day that he realizes he has missed a small barrage of texts, mostly between Kuroo and Bokuto, yelling at each other about being out of town at the same time and wouldn’t it be so crazy if they ran into each other (>> _ Bokuto, you’re literally as far from me as you possibly can be right now while we’re both still in Japan _ ).

But if they’re both out of town—

[to: you]

>> _ Are you available for lunch tomorrow? It seems we have something to discuss. _

With shaking hands, Tsukishima types out a response.

[to: Akaashi Keiji]

<< _ Seems you already know where my office is. Swing by around noon. _

***

There’s no plant today, but Tsukishima still finds himself staring at the empty doorway most of the morning. He gets almost nothing done, and he’d be more embarrassed by that if he had half a brain cell to spare to think about it. They’re all currently occupied worrying about what he’s going to say to Akaashi.

Had Akaashi meant the gifts as more than just a friendly gesture? Surely he had—a single gift is a friendly gesture. Three gifts, three days in a row, is nothing short of courting. Right? 

And if that’s the case—does he requite Akaashi’s feelings? Akaashi is beautiful, of course. Thoughtful, intelligent, witty the way Tsukishima really loves. Akaashi is always sparing him a smile when the others aren’t looking, a text to confirm he’s okay when he seems a little out of it at lunch or an outing. He’s always thought his own feelings toward Akaashi were just friendship, but he’s also always blushed when they’ve brushed hands. He’s always felt a joy unlike anything he experiences around anyone else when he makes Akaashi laugh.

He pinches the bridge of his nose. He’s quick to criticize others about their own denseness regarding their feelings, and yet he hasn’t recognized what’s been right in front of him all this time.

“Delivery, Tsukishima-kun.”

Hironaka-san’s voice is much more giggly than usual, and Tsukishima looks up to discover it’s 12:10 and that Akaashi is standing at his desk beside Hironaka-san, who is visibly trying to contain herself.

“Ah—my apologies, I didn’t realize the time. Thank you, Hironaka-san. Akaashi-san—”

“There’s a bakery just around the corner that I’m fond of,” Akaashi says, side eyeing Hironaka-san. “If you’re able to step out for lunch.”

“Of course,” Tsukishima answers. 

He steps out from behind his desk. Akaashi is both elegant and graceful as he skirts around Hironaka-san to accompany Tsukishima on his escape from the office, his form just as beautiful as it used to be on the court. Tsukishima doesn’t breathe until the raindrops are hitting his shoulders.

“I don’t suppose you brought an umbrella,” Akaashi asks with a gentle smile. 

Tsukishima shakes his head. “I can make a run for it.”

“Ridiculous,” Akaashi decides, and he opens the umbrella at his side that Tsukishima hadn’t noticed before. “We’ll go together.”

It’s slow walking; the umbrella isn’t big enough for two, which means Tsukishima has to all but cling to Akaashi’s side. He keeps his eyes low, trained on the ground, except for one moment where he thinks Akaashi might be looking away and he manages to sneak a look in. There’s a faint blush on Akaashi’s cheeks, the slightest hint of pink, and the curve remains in his lips. He looks lovely, with the rain behind him, holding tight to the handle of the umbrella. He looks lovely anytime.

The bakery is crowded, but Tsukishima manages to snag a spot in the corner while Akaashi gets their drinks. When he comes to the table, it’s with a full tray, laden with two drinks and several varieties of snacks.

“I wasn’t sure what you might like, so I got a few different treats,” Akaashi says. “Except for the strawberry cake. I knew you’d want that.”

“Thank you, Akaashi-san,” Tsukishima says. There’s a quiet between them as they set the various plates on the table. Akaashi snags away most of the onigiri before Tsukishima can lay claim to them, but otherwise he gets his pick. Akaashi polishes off a few of his snacks before he looks up.

“I won’t keep you waiting,” he says, smiling again. “I did send the plants.”

“Why?” Tsukishima asks.

Akaashi blinks once, tilts his head. “Isn’t it obvious, Tsukishima-kun?”

It is, but it knocks the breath out of him anyway. “You…?”

Akaashi spares him a soft laugh. “Reconnecting with you has brought me a lot of joy, Tsukishima-kun. I always regretted that we didn’t stay as close as you did with Bokuto-san and Kuroo-san. Spending time with you lately...it’s been wonderful.”

“It’s been wonderful for me, too,” Tsukishima says, quiet but earnest.

Akaashi blushes, ducking his head. “Thank you for saying so. I always intended to sign my name at the end of the week, for what it’s worth. I wasn’t going to keep it a secret forever. And if you...if you were interested, perhaps we could spend more time together on our own. There’s no pressure, of course, if you would rather not—”

“I rather would,” Tsukishima says, cutting him off. “Are you free Saturday night?” When Akaashi nods, he continues, “There’s a park near my apartment. If you wanted, we could walk around...uh. Maybe pack a dinner.”

“As long as you don’t request I set for you,” Akaashi says. “I’m afraid that’s not my preferred way of spending a date.”

“R-right,” Tsukishima manages. “It’s a date, then.”

Akaashi inclines his head. “It’s a date.”

On the way back to his office, Akaashi holds the umbrella with his outside hand. With the inside, he entwines his pinky finger with Tsukishima’s. Tsukishima can’t shake off the feeling, even long after Akaashi has wished him goodbye and promised again they’ll see each other Saturday night.

It’s almost worth the harassment he gets from Hironaka-san the rest of the day.

**Author's Note:**

> [socials here](https://joshllyman.carrd.co)


End file.
